


Falling (Except Hopefully Not. Really Hoping Not.)

by BenevolentErrancy



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Acrophobia, Fear of Heights, Ferris Wheels, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 21:58:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6676909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BenevolentErrancy/pseuds/BenevolentErrancy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grantaire is not now, not ever, going to be riding that ferris wheel.  It's not going to happen.  He likes living, thank you.  Unfortunately he also really, really likes Enjolras' smile and if that ends up leading him straight into the line for the ride, well, sacrifices have to be made every so often.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling (Except Hopefully Not. Really Hoping Not.)

**Author's Note:**

> prompt from my tumblr "could u write a lil thing about enjolras and grantaire wherein grantaire is deathly afraid of heights and they're put into a situation like air travel or Ferris wheels etc ?"

“Ha,” said Grantaire without looking up from his phone, “not a fucking chance.”

Courfeyrac's groan was nearly drowned in the noises of the fairground. With spring well and truly begun, cool with the promise of oncoming summer heat, the local, traveling carnival has begun making its rounds again and the usually empty lot was bustling. The air was filled with the clatter and rattle of rides, the excited screams of their riders, the call of parents, the laughter of children, the cries of teenagers finding friends, and the overwhelming, sickly sweet smell of donuts and cotton candy. Before them stood the ferris wheel, a classic by anyone's standards, with its brightly painted carriages swaying as it spun, the sunlight glinting off the lights that covered its arms which, once night fell, would light up like hyperactive fairies.

“Don't you remember the last time Aire went on the ferris wheel?” Combeferre asked with a frown.

Courf grinned. “You bet your ass I do. But come on, that was in _the fifth grade_. It's a _ferris_ wheel, this is like... a kid's attraction!”

“Not happening,” said Grantaire.

“Come on, Aire,” wheedled Courfeyrac. “It's because you wanted to go on the Zero Gravity first thing that we've lost Marius – now we don't have an even number without you! Someone's going to have to get paired with a stranger if we go like this!” He gestured gravely to the two-people carriages that made up the ride.

Grantaire scowled. “Then wait until Marius is done upchucking and take him later. You're not getting me onto Satan's giant, spinning cockring, thanks.”

“Right, because we'll _definitely_ get him onto another spinning ride after Zero-G.”

“Look,” said Enjolras finally, “it doesn't matter. I just won't ride it this time.”

Combeferre and Courfeyrac both frowned and shuffled unhappily. This was a tradition for them, and Grantaire knew it. Combeferre, Courfeyrac, and Enjolras had made annual excursions to the fair since they were young enough to need to hold their parents hands while crossing the midway, and the ferris wheel had been a ride they had all been able to get on without fail, even when Courf had been a tiny child instead of just a tiny adult. The ferris wheel was one attraction that they had to ride every single time the fair came to town. Usually though they had the perfect number of people for everyone to pair up and leave Grantaire safely on the ground with his deep-fried donuts until they were finished “breaking the surly bonds of earth” or whatever shit they thought they were doing. Besides tempting fate. Except this time it was the first time the fair had come since Feuilly and Bahorel had gotten together, so those two were obviously planning on riding the wheel together, because apparently being suspended a hundred feet over an empty void is romantic or something. Then Marius had decided he was a weakling and was off throwing up somewhere. That left Grantaire, who was not getting on the devil machine, and the triumvirate.

“You can't just _not_ go,” said Courfeyrac miserably.

“I could sit out,” said Ferre. Because really, no one really wanted to be crammed in a narrow, metal seat with a complete stranger.

Courfeyrac made a distressed noise and Enjolras rolled his eyes. “And not make out with Courf at the top of the wheel?”

“Look,” said Feuilly, “I know this is your thing, I don't mind...”

“No!” insisted Enjolras. They all knew Feuilly had to fight to get the time off work to come to the fair at all. “Seriously, I don't mind. I have a news article loaded on my phone that I want to finish reading anyways.”

So after a little more deliberating, and half-hearted suggestions of sitting out instead, Courf, Ferre, Bahorel, and Feuilly made their way to the ferris wheel line up, casting continuous, uncertain, apologetic glances back towards Enjolras, who sat down at the opposite end of the bench from Grantaire.

Grantaire tried to focus on the game he was playing on his phone, but he was hyper-aware of Enjolras. Would be for however long it took for everyone else to finish on the ferris wheel. And of course he wouldn't be able to work up the gall to say anything – or at least anything that wouldn't end up with his foot lodged half way down his throat, certainly. Especially now that he felt guilty. But Enjolras was a grown ass adult, no way he _really_ cared about riding a stupid ferris wheel, right? At least roller coasters were _fun_ , ferris wheels literally just lifted you into the air and put you down again, it was _boring_. Terrifying _and_ boring, what a stupid combination, who would even want that? Risking a glance, Grantaire nearly groaned when he saw that, yes, Enjolras did in fact look very disappointed, in so much as Enjolras ever does. Not like he was genuinely upset or annoyed, but dammit, Grantaire knew how much he wanted to complete his, Courf and Ferre's annual tradition. And he would forever be the one that barred him from it, great, just great. It was like kicking puppies. If puppies were blond and passionate and made you want to believe the world could be changed by sheer force of will and were _really_ hot and - no, actually, this line of thought needed to stop now. 

“Fine,” he said, shoving his phone in his pocket before he could think about just how much he was going to regret this. “Fine, I'll go on the stupid ride with you.”

Enjolras looked up, startled – the fucking fucker hadn't even been _trying_ to guilt trip him, it wasn't fair that he was that good at it just by furrowing his brow and frowning at his stupid phone.

“Grantaire? Are you sure, I don't want–” Enjolras started, but Grantaire interrupted because otherwise he really would lose his nerve.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Let's just go.” After all, it _was_ just a kid's ride, right? It's been _years_ since he'd been on one. It would be fine. Right? Right. Fine.

And, oh. Oh. Enjolras _beamed_ at him, like Grantaire had just personally made his entire day. Grantaire could feel himself melt, grin stupidly back at Enjolras, and follow behind Enjolras as he bounded up to meet the others in the line who cried in joy at their arrival. Okay, it might not be that bad if Enjolras was going to smile at him like that.

Yeah, he thought as they moved through the line-up, this might not be so bad. After all, the others seemed to think it was “romantic”, right? And he would get to sit beside Enjolras the entire time, that might be nice.

And besides, he reasoned after Courf and Ferre's carriage, followed by Feuilly and Bahorel's, lifted into the air and he and Enjolras were able to sit down in theirs. Besides, these things were made securely after all, right? They wouldn't let people up in them otherwise. Right? Maybe he could hold Enjolras' hand. Would that be weird? God, it would be nice...

He tried to stifle the lurch his stomach made to accompany the lurch of the ferris wheel carriage as they lifted off the ground. See, they were only a few feet off the ground now, oh and a few more... and a few more... but this really wasn't that high! And Enjolras was laughing next to him, a clear, chiming sound that he swore must ring over the entire fairground like a bell.

Too soon though the ferris wheel was turning in earnest, speed picking up, and suddenly they were cresting the top and–

“Oh fuck,” he croaked, staring down. Way down. Way, way, way down. To the tiny people and the tiny cars and the very large, solid earth below them with nothing but them and a thin, swaying metal seat between them.

“I can see your truck,” said Enjolras, leaning forward to point towards the parking lot.

The entire carriage swayed and a desperate, choking, hysterical laugh slipped from Grantaire's mouth as he flung himself backwards, trying to keep from the feeling of tipping toward out of the seat, only to make the entire things swing even _more_ backwards – he swore and grabbed Enjolras' outstretched arm, pulling it back into the seat.

“Aire? Are you alright?” asked Enjolras, looking from Grantaire's pallid face to where he still had his hand locked like a vice around his wrist.

“Nope!” said Grantaire, trying to keep his voice light as the carriage sped past the peak of the wheel and started descending again – which you would think would be better, because they were getting closer to the ground, but oh god it just felt like _falling_.

“Are you really that afraid of ferris wheels?” Enjolras asked, sounding alarmed. And a little amused. Dick. Except right now the only thing that was making Grantaire feel even the slightest bit better was the solid, grounding points of contact where Grantaire's hand was latched around his wrist and where their thighs touched, so he kept it to himself.

“Heights,” he said instead with a wheeze. “Not a huge fan of heights.”

“But you ride the roller coasters!”

“Because you're in the air for live, five seconds and then it's just a ride!” shouted Grantaire as the carriage began looping back up again – oh god, he felt lightheaded, why did this never stop? (Besides, when he was on those roller coasters he may or may not cling to the hand of whoever was sitting next to him until they started going as well, that person just basically never happened to be Enjolras. And now the when he really got to sit side by side on a ride with him, Grantaire probably looked like he was about to throw up like Marius. Great. Fantastic.)

This time the wheel only got part way up before it ground to a halt, leaving them swinging widely mid-air, only a few (lethal) feet from the ground as a lower carriage let its riders off. Grantaire whimpered and tightened his hold on Enjolras' hand, who winced.

“Hey,” Enjolras said uncertainly, patting the back of Grantaire's hand. “You could... close your eyes?”

Right, thought Grantaire, because that would detract from the feelings of swaying in the air, with his feet very definitely far, far from the ground, or the knowledge that there was nothing but emptiness and then very solid _not_ -emptiness below him.

“And besides, we're not just in the air, right? We're on a ride. It's solid. You don't need to be afraid of a ride. Right?”

Grantaire gave Enjolras a wild look. “ _Don't need to be afraid?_ Have you seen the rusty death-traps that passes for rides around here?” he cried. “What if something breaks? _What if it falls?_ How secure even are these things? It's just a tiny bit of metal between us up here, and us potentially down there _really, really dead, Enjolras_. Or what if it's like where... where it breaks and then the wheel _just falls and keeps rolling like some awful, carnival death-ring of screaming bodies?_ ”

“Grantaire that has– that has literally never happened. Ever. I'm not sure it even could. I mean, there's all the carriages, wouldn't that stop it from rolling properly?”

“It happens in _movies_ , Enjolras. Movies wouldn't _lie_ to me. And who cares if it rolls perfectly or not, all it needs to do is fall a little for us to all fucking _die_ , Enjolras, we– what are you doing?”

“I'm texting Combeferre to see if he knows what the odds of a ferris wheel falling and continuing to roll are.”

“ _DON'T ASK HIM THAT!_ ” Knowing Combeferre he might actually answer, and Grantaire knew that right now he did not want to know falling ferris wheel statistics.

Grantaire reached over to try to grapple the phone from Enjolras' hand, who jerked away to the side instinctively, making the carriage shudder in the air, making Grantaire _shriek_ and then lunge at Enjolras, no longer trying to get the phone but just to have someone to cling to.

“How is holding me going to help if we fall?” Enjolras asked, shifting under Grantaire's white-knuckled grip.

“Stop talking,” said Grantaire, his face pressed against the side of Enjolras coat. “Just stop talking. Don't say anything unless it's 'Grantaire, we're safely at the bottom and no longer about to die'.”

“Aire, we are _not_ about to die.”

“Stop. Talking. What if the God of Ferris Wheels can hear you and decides to fuck us out of spite? My death will be on your hands. I'll have it carved into my tombstone: 'Here lies Grantaire, too young and beautiful for such a fate, who died because Apollo didn't heed his warnings and pissed off the other Olympians. Oh why must the beloved companions of the gods always be the ones to bear the fury of the gods in their divine vengeance?'”

“I feel pretty safe in assuming the Olympians didn't have ferris wheels,” said Enjolras, patting Grantaire's head with as much sympathy as he could manage past the amusement. “I think you're safe.” Though he paused in his petting for a moment to consider what was just said. “Also, 'beloved'?”

There wasn't much of Grantaire's face to be seen, between his hair and Enjolras' coat, but even from this awkward angle Enjolrars could see the tips of Grantaire's ears go red. Well.

“I thought I told you to stop talking,” croaked Grantaire.

The conversation was abruptly halted before Enjolras could pursue it further though when Grantaire shrieked again as the ferris wheel gave another lurch, turning another notch so the next carriage could be let out. Enjolras was pretty sure he could hear Courfeyrac laughing from somewhere below; he leaned over a little to see and sure enough saw a tiny Courfeyrac on the ground, nudging a tiny Combeferre and pointing up at them. Enjolras waved. Grantaire whimpered.

“ _Don't make it rock don't make it rock don't make it rock_ –”

“Courf's down there already,” Enjolras said, thinking maybe their friends would distract Grantaire until they reached the bottom. Plus, if Courfeyrac and Combeferre were off already, they would be soon.

Well, it proved to be a very big mistake when Grantaire glanced up to see where Enjolras was pointing and paled as he stared down, down, down towards the fairground. Only a choking noise escaped Grantaire's throat but he slammed his head back against Enjolras' side with fervor. Courfeyrac's laughter rose from the distance again.

Enjolras kept a reassuring hand on Grantaire's head until finally, with one, final, swaying crunch, the wheel stopped and the attendant was releasing the catch on the carriage. Grantaire gave a wordless cry of relief as he stumbled out, all but falling into Bahorel's arms as Enjolras followed sedately afterwards.

“Laugh all you want,” Grantaire was saying, “I am a _survivor_. I nearly _died_. You all owe me so many donuts. So many.”

“You gonna need to join Marius in the bathroom?” Bahorel asked, poking Grantaire's stomach. Grantaire swatted him away and stuck his tongue out.

Eventually, after they had finished regrouping and Grantaire had gamely weathered the teasing and stopped looking quite so shaken, they continued along their way, heading off to meet Marius who Courf said had texted him to say he'd found Cosette and Éponine by the haunted house. Enjolras fell back to where Grantaire was walking; he was smiling and laughing again, but he still looked pale and was giving the taller rides a wide berth in his stroll.

“Hey,” said Enjolras. “Thanks.”

“Ha, yeah, you better be grateful, Apollo. Not everyone has a champion willing to face down the gods themselves for them.”

Enjolras grinned at him and then, impulsively, reached out to squeeze Grantaire's hand again, like Grantaire had been doing on the ride. It was faintly sticky with fairground sweets.

“I mean it. You didn't have to but you did. For me. So thanks. We should go on another ride together – something, uh, a little closer to the ground.”

Grantaire stared at him, and it took his brain a couple minutes before it remembered how to say things like “okay” or “sure” or “ _oh god yes please_ ”. In his daze, he wasn't sure exactly what fell out of his mouth, but Enjolras grinned at him again like the damn sun before dropping his hand and wandering up to greet Cosette who had just come running around the corner of a ring shot booth

Okay, so Grantaire still never, _ever_ wanted to go near a damn ferris wheel again – or anything over about three feet tall if he could help it, at the moment bucking Combeferre was giving him vertigo – but just maybe it had been worth it, a little. Or would be once he was sitting next to Enjolras on a ride he didn't feel like he was about to pass out on, and actually have a chance to enjoy that smile.

 


End file.
